E 

467.1 
.T74 
C437 
1876 


George  Washifigton  Flowe. 
Memorial  Collection 

DUKE  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 

ESTABLISHED  BY  THE 
FAMILY  OF 
COLONEL  FLOWERS 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2015 


https://archive.org/details/tributeofaffecti01char 


A  ,  ^ 

TRIBUTE 

OF 

AFFECTION  AND  RESPECT 

FROM  THE 

CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE, 

(;hakleston,  s.  c,  December  20,  \m. 


IN  MEMORIAM 


GEORGE  ALFBED  TRENHOLM 


The  News  and  Couriek  Job  Pkesse 
19  Broad  Street,  Claarleston,  S.  C. 


MEMORIAL  MEETING. 


In  response  to  the  call  of  S.  Y.  Tupper,  Presi- 
dent, the  members  of  the  Charleston  Chamber  of 
Commerce  assembled  in  their  rooms  at  one  o'clock, 
P.  ]\r.,  on  20th  December,  1876,  to  pay  their  trib- 
ute to  the  memory  of  the  late  Honorable  GEORGE 
Alfred  Trexholm,  a  former  President,  and  for 
man}'  years  a  prominent  and  influential  member 
of  the  Association. 

In  announcing  the  objects  of  the  meeting,  Presi- 
dent TUPPER  said — 

Gtiitltuicn  of  tJic  CJiambcr  of  Coiinncrcc — It  is  no 
unusual  occurrence  that  brings  us  together.  It 
is  the  one  solemn  and  inevitable  event  in  the  his- 
tory of  every  human  being. 

]vlr.  George  A.  TREXHOL^r,  a  distinguished 
member  and  ex-President  of  this  Chamber,  is  no 
more.  His  earthly  career  is  ended.  But  the 
remembrance  of  his  usefulness,  his  commanding 
abilities,  and  the  influence  of  his  character,  re- 
mains with  us  for  emulation  and  applause. 

If  I  speak  of  his  virtues  as  a  citizen,  his  integ- 
rity as  a  merchant,  and  his  sincerit}'  as  a  friend, 
I  should  only  utter  what  is  known  to  all  of  you. 


6 


Accustomed  as  we  have  been  for  many  years 
to  look  to  him  for  counsel,  confiding  in  his  sound 
judgment,  matured  wisdom  and  experience  in 
commercial  affairs,  whom  have  we  now  to  fill 
his  place  ? 

We  have  cause  to  lament  the  death  of  our 
most  distinguished  member,  whose  superior  intel- 
ligence and  eminent  services  gave  tone  and  repu- 
tation to  this  Chamber. 

Our  halls  have  resounded  with  his  eloquence. 
He  was  an  orator  in  the  full  meaning  of  oratory — 
the  art  of  persuasion.  That  voice  shall  be  heard 
no  more  which  encouraged  or  restrained  us  in  our 
deliberations  upon  subjects  of  grave  and  public 
importance ;  and  who  am6ng  us  presumed  too 
much  upon  his  own  opinions  when  his  ripe  intel- 
lect and  intelligence  had  pronounced  upon  ques- 
tions of  commercial  policy,  law  and  usage ;  and 
when  have  we  ever  erred  in  following  his  coun- 
sels ? 

Our  records  are  filled  with  his  wisdom,  and  his 
death  has  canonized  the  name  of  a  great  merchant 
upon  those  records.  But  while  we  deplore  that 
the  light  is  extinguished  which  once  guided  us 
safely  through  paths  of  uncertainty,  yet  our  hearts 
are  grateful  that  he  has  left  us  the  legacy  of  his 
name  and  the  reputation  of  his  splendid  abilities. 

It  is  with  some  hesitation,  and  I  trust  with  pro- 
per humility,  that  I  refer  to  my  own  deprivation 


since  his  last  illness,  in  finding  none  so  wise,  so 
friendly,  so  patient  as  himself,  with  whom  to  ad- 
vise in  the  cares  which  often  beset  me  in  my 
official  position.  I  look  back  with  much  emotion 
to  the  last  interview  I  had  with  Mr.  Trenholm. 
He  had  just  advised  against  a  proposed  union  on 
the  part  of  this  Chamber  with  a  popular  foreign 
commercial  association,  whose  agent  was  then  in 
this  city,  and  his  arguments  were  so  just,  so  clear 
and  forcible  ;  so  filled  with  concern  for  the  inter- 
ests of  this  Chamber,  that  in  yielding  my  ambi- 
tious views  to  his  judgment,  I  pronounced  him 
my  "  commercial  father."  He  answered  not,  but 
gave  me  his  hand,  and  with  that  w^arm  pressure 
we  parted  never  to  meet  again  this  side  of  eter- 
nity. 

I  desire  to  speak  but  in  general  terms  of  Mr. 
Trenholm,  and  of  those  qualities  by  which  he 
was  best  known  to  us.  I  attempt  no  narrative  of 
his  eventful  life ;  that  duty  has  been  ably  though 
briefly  performed  by  a  faithful  chronicler  of  the 
day.  I  may  be  permitted,  however,  to  refer  to 
his  devotion  to  his  native  City  and  State.  That 
devotion  was  earnest  and  uncompromising,  and 
became  more  intense  when  we  had  reached  our 
present  fallen  political  condition.  Latterly  he 
consented  to  become  a  candidate  and  was  elected 
to  the  Legislature.  No  honor  could  possibly  at- 
tach to  the  office  save  that  of  the  discharge  of 


8 


duty  and  the  sacrifice  of  comfort  and  every  per- 
sonal interest.  To  restrain  vice  and  ignorance,  to 
interpose  his  lofty  character  against  misrule  and 
injustice,  were  doubtless  the  motives  of  his  action. 
Earnest  in  the  advocacy  of  the  right,  he  was  fear- 
less in  the  denunciation  of  wrong ;  and  who  has 
not  marked  the  readiness  and  boldness  with  which 
he  ever  vindicated  his  principles  and  opinions. 

What  has  been  said  of  another  memorable  man 
may  justly  be  said  of  Mr.  Trenholm  :  He  had 
too  much  merit  not  to  excite  some  jealousy  ;  too 
much  virtue  to  provoke  enmity." 

Mr.  Trenholm  was  the  true  type  of  a  South- 
ern gentleman.  He  was  social,  considerate,  and 
magnanimous;  modest  and  unassuming;  regardful 
of  the  feelings  of  others.  Knowing  his  powers  he 
affected  no  superiority  over  others.  He  seemed 
ever  hopeful  and  cheerful,  and  his  disposition  was 
marked  for  its  urbanity  and  kindness. 

As  a  merchant  we  knew  him  best.  He  was 
diligent,  methodical,  and  faithful  to  his  engage- 
ments; and  who  doubts  his  great  wisdom  and 
sagacity  in  all  commercial  matters  ?  It  is  here 
that  his  character  is  most  impressed  upon  us  and 
worthy  of  our  emulation.  He  was  a  true  mer- 
chant of  our  better  days.  Educated  and  refined, 
his  respectful  attention  to  all,  his  dignity  and 
gentle  decorum  made  it  a  pleasure  to  have  inter- 
course with  him  even  amidst  the  most  perplex- 


ing  cares  of  business.  In  this  respect  he  had  but 
few  peers,  and  no  superiors. 

But  there  is  a  deeper  sorrow  than  ours,  where 
the  ties  of  natural  affection  and  dependence  have 
been  freshl}-  broken;  a  grief  that  we  cannot  know. 
We  dare  not  Hft  the  veil  of  this  sacred  sorrow, 
but  we  may  sympathize  in  the  bereavement,  for 
we  too  have  some  cause  to  mourn  ;  and  for  the 
sake  of  the  living  and  the  dead  it  is  well  for  us 
to  give  honor  where  honor  is  due. 

Wq  gave  him  our  confidence  in  life,  let  us  be 
faithful  to  his  memory  in  death. 

]\Ir.  E.  Horry  Frost,  the  Senior  \^ice-Presi- 
dent  of  the  Chamber,  then  introduced  the  follow- 
ing preamble  and  resolutions  of  respect  to  the 
memory  of  the  deceased,  as  expressive  of  the  feel- 
ings of  the  members: 

I  could  wish,  ]\Ir.  President,  it  had  fallen  to 
the  lot  of  some  one  more  capable  than  myself  to 
offer  these  resolutions  in  memory  of  ^Ir.  Trex- 
HOLM  ;  he  was  a  man  whose  name  will  live  so 
long  in  this  City  and  State,  and  be  held  in  such 
estimation,  and  whose  fame  as  a  merchant,  and 
even  in  politics,  was  so  extended  into  all  parts  of 
our  country,  and,  I  may  say  of  the  world,  that 
justice  to  his  memory  requires  a  more  able  pen 
than  mine  ;  it  is,  however,  within  the  pro\'ince  of 


10 


any  to  ofYer  a  tribute  upon  the  tomb  of  worth 
and  eminence,  and  it  is  in  this  spirit  that  I  avail 
myself  of  the  sad  privilege. 

One  of  my  first  recollections  of  Mr.  Trenholm 
is  of  him  as  a  member  of  this  Chamber,  in  which 
for  a  time  he  held  the  highest  office,  and  in 
which  he  was  always  pre-eminently  a  guiding 
and  a  ruling  spirit  ;  if  there  was  at  any  time 
occasion  for  counsel  or  for  action,  the  fruits  of 
a  fertile  mind  and  a  ready  hand  ;  if  we  were  to 
be  represented  abroad,  or  were  called  upon  to 
make  some  public  demonstration  at  home  ;  if  we 
needed  one  gifted  with  eloquence  or  persuasive- 
ness, or  one  who  would  attract  the  attention  of 
men  and  reflect  honor  upon  ourselves,  it  was  to 
him  that  we  instinctively  turned,  and  without  him 
we  hardly  thought  that  our  acts  of  business  or 
ceremony  had  their  full  expression. 

The  qualities  which  distinguished  him  here  he 
carried,  of  course,  into  all  assemblies  or  bodies  of 
men  with  which  he  was  connected,  and  his  loss 
to  them  is  doubtless  equally  great ;  and  yet  this 
reflection  does  not  diminish  the  peculiar  force 
with  which  we  feel  it  to  fall  upon  ourselves  ;  we 
regarded  him  as  one  always  of  us  and  with  us, 
one  whom  we  were  proud  to  put  forward  as  our 
representative,  and  who  endeared  himself  to  us 
by  his  frequent  presence,  his  geniality  and  his 
friendship  ;    he  seemed  to  us  to  belong  to  this 


1 1 


Chamber,  and  the  gap  he  has  left  is  so  wide  that 
we  do  not  know  where  to  look  to  fill  it. 

As  a  merchant  Mr.  Trexholm  was  distinguish- 
ed for  the  large  grasp  of  his  mind  and  the  energy 
which  he  infused  into  his  undertakings  :  these 
qualities  account  for  the  immense  extent  of  his 
business  operations,  for  the  success  A\-hich  in  the 
main  attended  them,  and  for  the  readiness  with 
which  if  at  any  time  disaster  befell  him,  he  im- 
mediately recovered  himself,  compelling  it,  as  it 
were,  to  be  but  temporary.  There  was  a  time 
when  he  seemed  to  ha\'e  almost  the  entire  com- 
merce of  Charleston  under  his  swa\' :  her  exports, 
her  imports,  her  banks,  her  railroads,  her  wharves, 
her  shipping,  all  felt  the  impulse  of  his  moving 
spirit  :  there  was  no  department  of  business  he 
did  not  touch,  and  there  was  none  to  which  he 
did  not  gi\"e  life  and  vigor;  his  heart  panted  to 
make  Charleston  a  great  commercial  cit}- ;  the 
vision  of  her  future  Avealth  and  greatness  was 
always  before  his  eyes,  and  the  way  to  it  he 
not  only  showed  to  others,  but  led  in  it  with 
mighty  steps  and  undaunted  courage. 

As  a  statesman  and  politician  his  acts  ha\-e 
gone  into  histor\',  and  in  her  own  time  the 
muse  of  Histor}'  will  relate  them  properh'  :  to 
her  guardian  care  we  can  safeh'  and  most  wiseh' 
leave  them  ;  we  do  not,  however,  trench  upon 
her  domain  if  we  now  say,  that  to  the  political 


12 


affairs  of  the  State  and  of  the  country  he  brought 
the  same  grasp  of  mind  and  energy  which  he  be- 
stowed upon  his  private  affairs;  and  to  these  great 
quahties  he  added  a  spirit  of  self-renunciation  and 
self-sacrifice  for  the  sake  of  public  duty,  exhibited 
on  more  than  one  occasion,  which  must  always  be 
an  example  to  men,  and  which  we  should  never 
forget. 

The  last  instance  is,  perhaps,  the  most  note- 
worthy, at  least  it  is  the  freshest  in  our  memories, 
and  was  the  fitting  conclusion  of  a  consistent  life. 
It  was  when,  two  years  ago,  at  the  call  of  us,  his 
fellow-citizens,  he  gave  up  the  loved  and  pleasant 
society  of  his  home ;  in  health  then  failing,  re- 
nounced his  ease  and  comfort ;  relinquished  the 
care  of  his  business;  laid  aside  the  remembrance 
of  his  ancient  fame;  forgot  that  he  was  a  prince 
among  merchants,  and  had  sat  in  Cabinets,  an 
adviser  in  the  struggle  of  mighty  nations ;  laid 
aside  the  pride  which  might  well  have  led  him 
to  believe  it  his  due  to  be  called  only  to  the  very 
highest  places  in  the  land  ;  and  for  months  gave 
his  time,  for  the  public  good,  to  his  duties  as  a 
member  of  the  Legislature  of  his  State — a  Legis- 
lature so  sadly  changed  from  that  in  which  in 
former  years  he  had  been  an  ornament  and  a 
power;  and  he  accepted  this  office,  not  because 
any  additional  honor  or  profit  would  come  to 
him — his   life    was   nearly   spent,   his    fame  was 


13 


made,  he  wsls  entitled  to  the  ease  and  rest  which 
his  long  labors  had  earned  for  him — but  because 
his  fellow-citizens  believed  that  his  services  there 
A\'Ould  be  useful  to  them  :  and  they  were  eminent- 
ly so.  but  above  them  all  was  the  example  of 
self-sacrifice  which  he  set  for  the  imitation  of 
those  who  are  to  follow  him  ;  and  it  Awas  during 
the  discharge  of  this  his  last  public  duty  that  he 
first  felt  the  approach  of  that  disease  which  has 
since  taken  him  from  our  sight. 

Last  and  best  I  As  in  life  he  had  been  a  fol- 
lower of  our  Lord  and  a  seeker  of  His  grace,  so 
in  death  he  was  able  to  trust  in  Him. 

Li  accordance  with  these  remarks.  I  therefore 
offer  to  the  Chamber  the  following  resolutions  for 
their  acceptance  : 

Resolvp:d,  That  in  the  death  of  the  Hon.  George  A.  Tren- 
HOLM  this  Chamber  has  lost  a  member  to  M'hom  it  has  owed 
much  of  its  prosperity,  %\-hose  ability  to  serve  it  was  only 
equalled  by  liis  zeal,  and  whose  exertions  in  its  behalf  were  con- 
tinued through  his  whole  life  ;  the  commerce  of  the  city  has 
lost  one  of  its  ablest,  most  sagacious,  and  most  enterprising  pro- 
moters ;  the  State  has  lost  a  faithful  son,  who  served  her  in  high 
places,  who  brought  to  her  counsels  wisdom  and  ability,  and 
adorned  her  assemblies  with  eloquence  and  dignity  :  and  the  com- 
munity has  lost  a  citizen  who  was  to  it  an  honor  and  an  orna- 
ment. 

Resolved,   That  this  Chamber  will  always  cherish  his  memon.-, 

bearing  in  mind  his  constant  and  distinguished   services,  and  the 

high  example  which  his  life  has  afiorded. 
4 


14 


Resolved,  That  copies  of  the  proceedings  of  this  meeting  be 
sent  to  Mr.  Trenholm's  family,  and  that  the  Chamber  offer  to 
them  its  sincere  sympathy  in  their  bereavement. 

Resolved,  That  the  proceedings  of  this  meeting  be  published 
in  the  daily  papers. 

Hon.  Henrv  Gourdin  said — 

Mr.  President — The  resolutions  before  the  meet- 
ing, on  this  deeply  afflicting  occasion,  will,  without 
doubt,  have  the  undivided  approval  of  the  Cham- 
ber. They  express,  without  exaggeration,  the 
feelings  and  sentiments  of  its  members,  and  are 
simply  true  of  our  deceased  ex-President.  He 
was  indeed  at  all  times  among  the  forem.ost, 
whether  in  his  own  vocation  of  Commerce,  the 
counsels  of  our  City,  the  Legislature  of  the  State, 
or  the  leading  enterprises  that  have  been  inaugu- 
rated in  our  day — the  Bank  of  Charleston,  the 
Blue  Ridge  Railroad,  the  improvements  of  the 
Bar  and  Harbor,  and  others  of  less  note.  And  to 
his  wisdom,  energy  and  zeal,  are  largely  due  the 
usefulness  of  this  Chamber,  the  high  reputation  it 
has  acquired  at  home  and  abroad,  and  the  influ- 
ence it  exercises  in  the  affairs  of  the  State,  polit- 
ical as  well  as  commercial  and  financial. 

Mr.  Trenholm  was,  in  one  sense,  a  self-made 
man— an  example  to  others,  to  the  youths  of  our 
country  especially.  It  is  true  that  he  was  highly 
gifted  by  nature ;  but  his  school  education  was 
short,  for  at  the  early  age  of  thirteen  the  school 


had  to  be  abandoned  for  the  counting-room,  under 
the  necessities  of  a  widowed  mother ;  but  the 
abandonment  of  the  school  did  not  mean  the 
abandonment  of  stud}-  and  self-education.  He 
had  the  facult}-  of  uniting  study  with  Avork,  (a. 
habit  continued  to  the  period  of  his  last  illness,) 
so  that  manhood  found  him  the  compeer  of  com- 
panions and  associates,  Avho,  more  fortunate  than 
himself,  had  had  all  the  benefits  of  the  schools 
and  colleges.  Neither  study  or  Avork  A\-ere,  how- 
ever, labor  to  ]\Ir.  Trexholm.  He  acquired 
quickly  and  easily :  and  Avith  Avonderful  facility 
ga\-e  form  and  shape  to  his  OAvn  ideas  in  a  man- 
ner to  be  readil}-  understood  b}-  others.  Not 
alA\-ays  Avedded  to  his  OAvn  opinions,  and  tolerant 
of  the  opinions  of  others,  he  as  readily  ga\'e  form 
and  shape  to  theirs,  as  to  his  OAA-n.  An  orator 
b}-  nature,  he  Avas  graceful  and  forcible  in  debate, 
fertile  in  resources,  and  suggesti\-e  under  eA-er\- 
difficulty — AA-ithal  social  and  impressi\"e  in  societ}', 
he  Avill  long  be  remembered  as  one  of  the  bright- 
est and  most  accomplished  men  of  our  day,  the 
most  enterprising  of  our  merchants,  distinguished 
alike  for  his  public  usefulness,  his  bencA-olence. 
and  private  A\'orth.  A  life  iuA-aluable  to  the 
State,  to  the  City,  and  especially  to  this  Cham- 
ber, has  passed  awa\-,  never  to  return ;  but  Ave 
Avill  perpetuate  our  remembrance  of  him  by  put- 
ting on  our  records  this  tribute  to  his  Avorth. 
I  second  the  resolutions. 


i6 


Mr.  Louis  D.  DeSaussure  said — 

Mr.  President — It  is  seldom  that  a  commercial 
body,  such  as  this  Chamber,  is  called  together  to 
pay  a  tribute  of  respect  to  one  of  its  deceased 
members  who  has  been  so  eminent  in  life,  and 
occupied  for  so  long  a  period  of  time  the  first 
position  as  an  intelligent  and  enterprising  mer- 
chant ;  few  men  (who  have  not  made  politics  the 
business  of  life)  have  filled  so  large  a  place  in  the 
public  eye  as  the  Hon.  GEORGE  A.  Trenholm. 

Commencing  commercial  life  more  than  the  half 
of  a  century  ago,  he  exerted  his  energies  in  de- 
veloping the  commercial  interests  of  the  city  and 
State.  His  intelligent  mind  has  been  active  in 
forwarding  almost  every  enterprise.  The  railroads 
of  the  country  have  received  his  earnest  and  un- 
tiring support.  Agriculture,  manufactures,  and 
commerce  have  been  advanced  under  his  foster- 
ing care  ;  and  in  times  past  no  new  enterprise 
was  undertaken  without  the  question  being  asked, 
"What  does  Mr.  Trenholm  think  of  it?"  This 
expression  conveys  the  idea  of  the  estimation  in 
which  he  was  held. 

Mr.  Trenholm's  cultivated  mind  and  high  at- 
tainments, with  his  imposing  presence  and  cour- 
teous manner,  marked  him  in  every  circle  in 
which  he  moved  as  a  distinguished  person.  None 
ever  came  in  personal  intercourse  with  him  with- 
out feeling  the  magnetism  of  his  influence.  Had 


'7 


he  turned  his  attention  in  life  to  the  affairs  of 
State,  he  would  have  been  a  most  distinguished 
statesman  and  courtier,  and  have  adorned  as  a 
representative  of  America,  with  refinement  and 
elegance,  any  Court  in  Europe. 

Though  Mr.  Trexholm  preferred  the  life  of  a 
private  citizen,  he  was  not  always  allowed  the 
liberty  of  pursuing  it ;  and  at  a  dark  period  of 
our  Confederate  history  he  was  called  on  to  guide 
the  financial  ship  of  the  treasury  through  the 
storm  which  was  gathering,  and  which  finally, 
with  an  irresistible  cyclone,  wrecked  our  hopes  of 
a  Conservative  Republic. 

But  the  crowning  event  of  Mr.  Trexholm's 
life,  surrounded  as  he  was  by  wealth,  position, 
influence,  and  domestic  elegance,  was  the  high 
patriotism  which  he  exhibited  when,  two  years 
ago,  he  accepted  the  position  of  membership  of 
the  State  Legislature,  and  in  the  discharge  of  his 
duty,  mingled  daily  with  the  ignorant,  insolent, 
and  corrupt  persons  who  composed  that  body. 

Such  noble  self-sacrifice  speaks  volumes  of  his 
devotion  to  his  native  State,  and  received  the 
gratitude  of  his  fellow-citizens  in  their  hour  of 
trial. 

A  noble  citizen  has  gone  "  to  his  long  home, 
and  the  mourners  go  about  the  streets." 

We  shed  a  tear  of  deep  sympathy  with  his 
family  circle. 

5 


i8 


Capt.  Wm.  a.  Courtenay  said — 

Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen — I  claim  the  privi- 
lege of  sharing  in  this  tribute  of  respect,  which 
the  Chamber  fitly  offers  to  the  memory  of  one 
who,  for  nearly  half  a  century,  has  given  inspi- 
ration and  impulse  to  our  commercial,  industrial, 
and  public  affairs;  and,  as  others  present  will  no 
doubt  desire  to  be  heard  on  this  mournful  occa- 
sion, I  shall  perhaps  best  observe  its  proprieties 
by  limiting  my  remarks  to  a  brief  consideration 
only,  of  Mr.  Trenholm's  qualities  as  a  merchant. 

The  general  interest  which  is  felt  so  distinctly 
and  so  widely,  in  this  our  especial  bereavement,  is 
manifested  for  one  who,  by  common  consent,  satis- 
fied the  higher  public  estimate  of  what,  in  scope 
of  vision,  mental  accomplishments,  poise  of  char- 
acter, and  energy  of  action,  constitutes  the  great 
merchant.  I  use  this  definition  in  its  past  sense. 
It  is  too  common  a  practice  in  the  present  time 
to  designate  those  as  merchants,  who  merely  buy 
and  sell,  and  who  consider  mere  barter  an  end  in 
itself,  to  which  all  the  faculties  of  a  man  may  be 
entirely  devoted,  and  not  as  the  means  to  some 
of  the  worthiest  objects  for  which  a  man  can  live. 

Mr.  Trenholm  must  have  studied  with  youth- 
ful ardor  the  lives  and  characters  of  the  founders 
of  those  renowned  Florentine  families,  who  created 
that  unique  prosperity  which  forms  so  valuable  a 
chapter  in  the  history  of  the  Middle  Ages — a  pros- 


19 


perity  growing  out  of  that  wonderful  industrial 
triumph  which  declared  it  a  civic  privilege,  to  be 
engaged  in  a  practical  vocation — a  civic  disability, 
to  be  an  idler  of  rank  :  conditions  Avhich  crowned 
Florence  with  a  culture  Avhich  was  felt  in  the 
goldsmiths'  shops  of  the  Ponte  \'ecchio,  and  ma}' 
yet  be  seen  in  her  renowned  architectural  and  art 
trophies.-  His  conception  of  a  mercantile  career 
was  clearly  pitched  on  such  a  plane  as  theirs — as 
of  one  occupied  with  broad  views  and  an  elevated 
acti\'it\- — a  pioneer  of  ci\'ilization,  and  a  constant 
impulse  to  its  advancement  through  the  thousand 
channels  in  Y\'hich  its  evolution  is  \\"itnessed.  He 
seemed  to  realize  at  ever}-  point  of  his  life,  that 
it  is  the  merchant  who  gives  to  civilization  hrst 
the  rude  initial  force,  and  imparts  to  it  the 
"  sweetness  and  the  light  of  mature  growth. 
The  picturesque  figure  of  speech,  of  the  sea  whit- 
ened with  the  sails  of  commerce,  would  never 
have  been  conceived,  were  it  not  that  the  mer- 
chant had  furnished  the  subject.  The  romance 
of  the  ocean  A\-ould  have  missed  some  of  its  most 
brilliant  illustrations,  if  the  keels  which  ploughed 
its  bosom  were  onl}-  those  of  State  and  War. 
The  world  pays  its  highest  honors  to  the  faith 
of  the  navigator,  who  sails  into  unknown  seas,  and 
finds  a  new  continent  rising  out  of  the  waves  ; 
but  the  discoverer's  skill  and  endurance  are  match- 
ed and  backed  by  the  faith  of  another,  who  has 


20 


equipped  him  for  his  mysterious  voyage.  Had 
Mr.  Trenholm's  lot  been  cast  on  the  banks  of 
the  Arno,  in  the  fourteenth  century,  where  com- 
merce had  its  early  dawn,  he  would  have  figured 
in  the  front  rank  of  that  mercantile  element, 
which  was  the  normal  life  of  the  Mediaeval  Re- 
public, and  would  have  conspicuously  illustrated 
its  essential  principle,  that  only  those  who  work- 
ed, should  rule;  and  that  patriotism,  and  ambition 
as  well,  should  be  brought  to  this  economic  test. 
But  his  life  was  not  passed  at  the  Porta  Delia 
Pera ;  his  fortune  was  to  live  in  a  narrow  field 
on  the  Ashley  five  centuries  later.  Entering  upon 
his  commercial  career  "  an  humble  youth  with- 
out family  influence,  fortune  or  favor,  he  broke 
through  the  shadows  of  obscurity,  and  by  the 
light  of  his  talents,  virtues  and  industry,  came 
to  shine  out  upon  us  with  a  cheerful  lustre.  While 
some  men  were  picking  pebbles  on  the  seashore, 
and  others  gazing  idly  on  the  billows,  he  was 
climbing  unassisted  from  cleft  to  cleft  up  the 
rocky  precipice  of  renown,  whose  towering  heights 
seemed  to  frown  upon  but  could  not  intimidate 
him  ;  for  he  mastered  them  all,  and  his  native  City 
and  State  enjoyed  the  fruit  and  the  honor  of 
his  labors." 

A  single  illustration  will  suffice.  By  his  saga- 
cious enterprise,  an  entire  fleet  of  ships  carried  our 
good  city's  name  on  their  registers,  and  displayed 


21 


from  their  mastheads,  to  the  foreign  Hongs  of 
China,  to  the  heights  behind  Bombay,  in  the 
crowded  docks  of  the  Mersey  and  the  Scheldt, 
the  Thames  and  the  Seine,  the  cheery  signal  flag 
of  a  native  Charleston  house.  There  was  no  great- 
er depth  of  water  then  on  Charleston  bar  than 
now,  and  yet  the  great  staples  of  the  South  found 
easy  exit  hence,  in  Charleston  ships,  to  the  dis- 
tant markets  of  the  world  ;  and  they  sailed  back 
with  great  cargoes  from  be\-ond  the  Bosphorus 
to  our  city  wharves.  His  was  an  unceasing,  in- 
telligent activity,  with  the  means  then  at  hand  in 
full  use,  and  a  large  success  was  achieved,  be- 
cause he  had  a  large  impulse  behind  him. 

"A  life  in  civic  action  warm, 

A  soul  on  highest  mission  sent, 
A  potent  voice  of  Parliament, 
A  pillar  steadfast  in  the  storm." 

It  is  for  such  a  citizen,  that  the  flags  of  the 
nations  have  been  so  recently  drooped.  It  is  for 
such  a  son.  that  Commierce  for  a  time  folds  her 
white  wings,  and  is  still.  Under  the  majestic 
branches  of  a  giant  oak,  in  our  own  city  of  the 
dead,  is  his  fit  resting  place  I  He  sleeps  in  the 
soil  of  his  birth  :  in  death  as  in  life  adhering  to 
South  Carolina.  Standing  by  that  new-made 
grave,  let  us  invoke  Nature,  in  the  beautiful  pro- 
cess of  the   seasons,  to  salute  it  with  bud  and 

G 


22 


blossom,  bright  children  of  the  earth  and  air; 
may  all  gardens  bloom  for  it  ;  field  and  forest 
send  sweet  tribute  to  it !    And  not  altocrether  for 

o 

him  who  has  gone  before,  but  as  well  for  our- 
selves, that  we  may  study  his  eventful  life,  learn 
wisdom  of  his  great  example,  and,  by  the  con- 
templation of  his  virtues  and  his  labors,  strive  to 
lift  up  our  thoughts  and  actions  to  the  height  of 
our  own  grave  emergencies.  May  these  dark 
days  through  which  we  are  now  moving,  be  gild- 
ed by  the  recollection  of  his  patient  fidelity  in 
times  as  gloomy  as  now — inspiring  us  with  fresh 
courage  to  work  out  our  seeming  dreary  future, 
fortified  by  hopes  like  his,  which  were  never  al- 
lowed to  grow  dim — through  that  steadiness  of 
aim,  which  finally  made  him  "our  chief  of  men." 

Mr.  Ch.  Richardson  Miles  said- 
After  the  feeling  tributes  which  have  been  offer- 
ed— so  just,  discriminating,  and  comprehensive — I 
should  not  venture  to  add  any  thing,  but  that  I 
esteem  it  a  privilege  to  unite  in  doing  honor  to 
one  no  less  gifted  as  a  man,  and  honored  as  a 
citizen,  than  he  was  great  as  a  merchant. 

In  every  thing  which  concerned  the  welfare  of 
Charleston,  Mr.  Trenholm  felt  the  deepest  in- 
terest. Quick  to  apprehend,  broad  and  far-seeing 
in  his  views,  and  fertile  in  resources,  he  would 
grasp,  develop,  and  mature  great  enterprises,  and 


23 


by  his  persuasive  eloquence  infuse  into  others  the 
confidence  and  enthusiasm  necessary  for  their  suc- 
cessful accomplishment.  Far  from  being  narrowed 
by  the  pursuits  of  commerce,  he  illustrated  the 
enlarging  influence  of  the  just  conception  of  the 
position  of  a  merchant,  and  thorough  execution 
of  its  duties. 

He  ne\^er  sought  place,  but  the  assumption  of 
high  duties  was  the  natural  consequence  of  his 
position  ;  and  the  qualities  Vv-hich  made  him  emi- 
nent in  commerce,  he  carried  into  ever\-  position 
to  which  he  was  called. 

In  1852  he  consented  to  go  to  the  Legislature 
of  the  State,  to  advance  a  great  enterprise  for 
the  development  of  the  interests  of  Charleston,  of 
which  he  was  an  earnest  advocate.  Here  he  was 
in  an  appropriate  and  congenial  sphere.  Al- 
though without  any  Parliamentar\'  training,  or 
experience,  yet 

 keen 

In  intellect,  with,  force  and  skill, 
To  strive,  to  fashion,  to  fulfill," 

he  at  once  assumed  his  place  among  the  first 
members  of  the  House,  not  only  as  a  worker  but 
as  a  debater.  This  position  he  retained  during  his 
entire  term  of  service,  which  extended  through 
several  sessions.    He  was  among  the  first  men  of 


the  Legislature  of  South  Carolina,  when  that 
body  was  composed  of  the  first  men  of  the  State. 
While  still  actively  engaged  in  his  extensive  busi- 
ness, in  the  darkest  days  of  our  Confederacy  he 
was  called  to  take  part  in  its  government,  and 
ably  aided  it  by  his  counsels  to  the  end  ;  and 
faithfully  adhered  to  the  fallen  fortunes  of  its 
head. 

After  peculiar  hardships,  and  long  delay,  he  re- 
turned to  Charleston,  and  addressed  himself  with 
undiminished  ability,  and  unabated  energy,  to 
rebuilding  his  fortunes,  impaired  by  mercantile 
reverses. 

He  was  thus  engaged,  when  two  years  ago  his 
fellow-citizens  again  called  upon  him  to  serve 
them  ;  not  as  before,  to  take  his  place  among  the 
pure  and  elevated ;  to  advocate  enterprises  of 
great  pith  and  moment  to  enlarge  our  prosperi- 
ty, and  increase  our  wealth;  but  among  the  igno- 
rant and  corrupt,  to  stem  the  tide  of  ignorance 
and  corruption  which  had  swept  over  us,  and  to 
aid  in  saving  something  from  the  wreck  of  the 
Ship  of  State.  This  crowning  act  of  his  life 
has  been  so  happily  described  by  our  Vice-Presi- 
dent that  I  will  not  attempt  to  add  any  thing  to 
the  description ;  but  those  who  witnessed  the 
promptness  and  grace  with  which  he  acceded  to 
the  request  to  be  a  candidate,  and  know  the 
cheerfulness  with  which  he  made  the  great  sacri- 


fices  which  the  position  involved,  will  ever  re- 
member it  with  pleasure  and  gratitude. 

His  influence  for  good  in  the  Legislature  sur- 
passed the  expectation  of  all :  and  he  continued 
to  discharge  the  arduous  and  trying  duties  of  the 
position  until  prevented  b\'  illness.  How,  at  this 
trying  period,  would  we  value  his  aid  and  counsel. 

But  those  who  knew  him  best  turn  from  the 
contemplation  of  the  great  merchant,  the  honored 
statesman  and  patriot,  and  love  to  dwell  upon  the 
memory  of  the  man. 

He  was  indeed  rarely  gifted  ;  strikingly  hand- 
some in  feature,  dignified  and  imposing  in  pres- 
ence, with  an  irresistible  charm  and  grace  of  man- 
ner, of  brilliant  conversational  powers,  and  pos- 
sessed of  a  winning  and  persuasive  eloquence 
which  never  failed  to  impress  all  who  came  within 
the  charmed  circle  of  his  influence. 

In  the  days  when  Charleston  was  pre-eminent 
for  her  cultured  society  and  refined  hospitality, 
he  lived  up  to  his  station,  and 

 "joined 

Each  duty  of  the  social  hour. 
To  noble  manners,  as  the  flower 
And  native  growth  of  noble  mind." 

There  was  another  sphere  in  which  his  excel- 
lencies shone  still  brighter — the  home,  into  which 
he  never  carried  the  cares  and   anxieties   of  his 


26 


busy  life,  but  only  the  sunshine  of  his  eagerly 
expected  presence ;  but  from  that  home  we  can- 
not lift  the  veil,  but  only  stand  reverently  at  its 
portal,  and  offer  to  those  shrouded  in  grief  within, 
our  tender  sympathy. 

Upon  the  pillar  of  their  trust  many  others  lean- 
ed, and  all  looked  with  pride  and  pleasure  on  its 
graceful  proportions  and  its  beautiful  finish ;  but 
the  polished  shaft  is  shattered,  and  we  can  only 
gather  around,  and  wreath  its  broken  fragments 
with  garlands  of  grief  and  affection. 

Let  us  garner  up  the  memories,  and  teach  to 
the  coming  generation  the  lessons  of  the  life  of 
Charleston's  great  merchant. 


At  the  close  of  the  addresses,  the  hushed 
silence  in  the  apartment  gave  outward  evidence 
of  the  sacred  memories,  and  personal  griefs,  the 
quickened  sense  of  the  loss  of  a  great  and  true 
friend,  felt  by  those  who  participated  in  this 
mournfully  impressive  occasion.  It  was  realized 
that  his  great  career  was  a  possession,  and  would 
abide  with  us — and  that  in  the  darkest  hour  of 
the  future,  when  men  shall  seek  some  light  to 
guide,  they  will  turn  to  this  memory,  and  in  it 
find  counsel  and  support.    "  It  is  the  great  and 


-7 

good  who   leave   us,  who  make   possible   the  fu- 
ture." 

Mr.  Wm.  B.  Burden  offered  the  following  reso- 
lution: 

Resol^'ED,  That  a  Committee  of  three  be  appointed  to  print 
five  hundred  copies  of  these  proceedings  for  the  use  of  the  mem- 
bers, and  that  copies  be  prepared  and  sent  to  the  family  of  Mr. 
Trenholm. 

The  President  appointed  Messrs.  Wm.  B.  BUR- 
DEN, Wm.  a.  Courtenay,  and  T.  W.  Bacot,  in 
compliance  with  the  wishes  of  the  Chamber,  and 
the  meeting  then  adjourned. 

S.  Y.  TUPPER, 

President. 

P.     J.     BARBOT,                     ■  ; 

Secretary. 

